Arkansas will host DT Noah Jefferson for Mississippi State game

Arkansas offered Jefferson last week, just hours after Ole Miss became his first offer as a 2018 recruit. He’s since added
offers from Florida Atlantic, Fresno State and Oregon State. In high school, Jefferson was a 4-star prospect from Desert Oasis
(Las Vegas) in the 2015 class. He signed with Southern California over Arizona State and San Diego State.

Jefferson (6-foot-6, 320 pounds) is currently at Arizona Western, the same junior college that Arkansas tight end Jeremy Patton
attended prior to joining the Hogs. He played in 14 games as a freshman at USC, but played in just one as a sophomore. He
announced plans to transfer to Arizona last spring before ending up at Arizona Western.

Jefferson’s older brother, Cam, played at Arkansas as a senior in 2015 after transferring from UNLV. He played in nine games
with one start during his time in Fayetteville.

The Razorbacks are also expected to receive an official visit from Arizona Western tackle Jahmir Johnson during the Mississippi
State weekend.

Noah Banks’ pledge gives Arkansas size, experience it needs on OL

Iowa Western tackle
Noah Banks committed to Arkansas on Wednesday morning. He joins in-state high school recruits Noah Gatlin and Luke Jones as offensive line commits in the
2018 class.

Banks is 6-7, 305 pounds, with plenty of experience at the college level. He spent two seasons at Murray State, an FCS school,
where he was a standout tackle. He then transferred to Iowa Western before this season in pursuit of FBS opportunities. He’s
been one of the top performers for the Reivers, who are 9-1 and ranked
No. 3 nationally at the NJCAA level.

Essentially, Banks is exactly what Arkansas needed on the offensive line in this class. The offensive line has been in shambles
most of the past two seasons. The unit needs an overhaul, and the fastest way to do that is with JUCO prospects.

Banks has more experience than any other offensive line recruit the Hogs could have pulled at this point. He was one of those
JUCO recruits that received a lot of late attention from Power 5 schools. Arkansas offered him in September while he was on
an official visit. He also was offered by Iowa State, Missouri and Minnesota in recent months.

Even with Banks’ pledge, the Hogs would seemingly still love to get Arizona Western’s Johnson. His commitment would give Arkansas
its best realistic offensive line class at this point.

Offer watch: TE Brad Cumbest

The Razorbacks are showing increased interest in Mississippi State tight end commit Brad Cumbest. The Hogs have yet to join
his offer list, which includes the Bulldogs, Louisiana-Lafayette and Ole Miss. That could be changing soon, though.

Arkansas has been waiting to offer other tight ends in hopes of still landing 4-star Luke Ford or 3-star Glenn Beal. However,
time is beginning to run out with the early signing period just six weeks away. If the Hogs are going to get a tight end in
the 2018 class, they may soon need to move down their list of options. Cumbest, a 3-star prospect, is likely the next top
option.

Cumbest attends East Central High School in Moss Point, Miss, located in the southeast corner of the state. In nine games
this season, he has 26 catches for 581 yards and 6 touchdowns.